The season-closing 8 Hours of Bahrain, round 8 of FIA WEC, got underway this evening with the first free practice session. Ninety minute FP1 held under floodlight with track temperatures hovering around 30 degrees.
Below are the main headlines from FP1
LMP1
• Toyota Gazoo Racing tops FP1 with Sébastien Buemi setting a time of 1:43.457 in the No. 8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID he shares with Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima
• Buemi 0.492s quicker than sister Toyota TS050 HYBRID driven by its trio of drivers Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez
• Two Toyota entries fighting for 2020 LMP drivers’ title with only seven points separating both crews going into the final race of the season
The 8 Hours of Bahrain race weekend has started. FP1 is green!#WEC #8HBahrain pic.twitter.com/FQzzTZkbJ6
— WEC (@FIAWEC) November 12, 2020
LMGTE Pro
• In LMGTE Pro Aston Martin Racing led the way, with Richard Westbrook setting a lap of 1:56.560 in the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR he shares with Maxime Martin
• Westbrook’s lap was 0.617s ahead of the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR – 19 driven by Richard Lietz and Gimmi Bruni
• Third overall is the second Porsche GT Team entry, with Michael Christensen setting a time of 1:57.218 early in the session
• Category leading No. 95 Aston Martin car fourth fastest with AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo entries fifth and sixth
LMP2
• Racing Team Nederland tops LMP2 timesheets as Guido Van Der Garde sets the pace early in the session with 1:47.955
• Second in class was André Negrão in the Signatech Alpine Elf entry – the Alpine A470 Gibson entry 0.171s adrift of pace-setting No. 29 car
• JOTA – who is vying for the runners-up spot in the LMP2 teams’ championship this weekend – was third quickest with Antonio Felix Da Costa clocking 1:48.303
LMGTE Am
• The No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage proved the car to beat in LMGTE Am as Ross Gunn set a fastest time of 1:57.666
• Second fastest in LMGTE Am was Gulf Racing’s Ben Barker in the Porsche 911 RSR, the British driver just 0.022s adrift of the fastest Am time
• Team Project 1’s Jeroen Bleekemolen rounded out the top three with a time of 1:57.688 in the No. 57 Porsche
The second Free Practice session is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 09h00 local time.
Click HERE for FP1 times.
